In the banquet room, there were only two chairs; on normal days, one belonged to Jasmine, and one belonged to the Dragon Egg. The slaves could only stand and eat in silence.
However, after the Dwarves finished making spears for the guards, they utilized the leftover wood to use a few wooden planks to make long benches. Although the legs of the benches were a bit wobbly, they were quite sturdy; now, the guards could finally sit in the banquet room and have a meal together with the Lord.
The personality of the slaves was quiet and taciturn; even the Minotaur was considered familiar, yet if Jasmine did not take the initiative to ask questions, he would not easily open his mouth, only knowing how to bow his head and eat.
Having meals with the Lord in the banquet room for two consecutive days, the slaves were still not very used to it. Their hands and feet were clumsy, and especially sitting on the clean and flat chairs made them feel even more like they were sitting on a pile of fire, afraid of dirtying the furniture; even the delicious food displayed in front of them seemed not as attractive as usual due to this tension.
Jasmine needed these people to get used to close contact with her, erasing the master-servant distance that was too large in order to easily coordinate when encountering danger; therefore, even though she noticed their unnaturalness, she did not tell them to withdraw.
"The bean sprouts today look quite good, whiter and plumper than the previous batch." The cabbage and radish leaves had been finished; today's vegetable soup had added newly made bean sprouts. It was just that with a time of two days, the bean sprouts had not yet fully matured, but this did not affect the eating experience; its mild sweetness was very pleasant.
"I told the cook to prepare two basins of bean sprouts that are growing quite well; we can bring them along to eat on the road. Sprinkle a little water, and they will remain fresh." The old Butler supported the Dragon Egg that Jasmine was wearing on her back, carefully placing it onto the velvet chair reserved specifically for the Dragon Egg.
"Mm, you are thoughtful." Bean sprouts only needed to be blanched in boiling water to be edible; they were filling and more convenient than eating dry beans directly, and they also replenished water.
If it weren't for the fact that Tofu pudding could not be kept for long and easily turned sour when traveling, it was estimated that the old Butler would have even packed a large barrel of Tofu pudding for them to carry along.
"My Lord, is it truly not necessary for me to follow along to serve you? The road is far and arduous; without someone to take care of your sleep and meals, I am not at peace."
The old Butler wore a worried expression as he picked up food for Jasmine. This time, Jasmine was going out bringing only slaves; those people had clumsy and rough limbs, so how could they take care of Jasmine, who was used to living in silk and velvet?
"No need, you just help me look after the territory well." The old Butler had previously been unable to endure the bumpy roads due to his old and weak bones and had not stepped half a step out of the territory for nearly twenty years; Jasmine did not want him to meet with any mishaps because of accompanying her.
It was better to let him stay at the territory and wait for them to return; he could also help supervise the slaves working and maintain order.
The surrounding walls were not yet finished building, and the scattered stones needed people to arrange them. The soil for planting vegetables had not been turned over, and the weeds growing even better than the young seedlings in the wheat fields had not been pulled up in time either; if it was not done immediately, then the next season would be a total loss.
Although Jasmine was not here, there was still a lot of work in the territory that needed someone to arrange and do, and it was not light work either; it required a person with prestige like the old Butler to hold the fort.
Jasmine had discussed the subsequent arrangements thoroughly with the old Butler early on. Although the old Butler was worried, he did not firmly insist on following along because he knew his health clearly; it was just that before Jasmine left, he tried his best to prepare all the necessary items to help her, from needles and thread to bandages and medicine.
Jasmine took advantage of the time while eating breakfast to confirm the work arrangements once again with the old Butler. The eating speed of the slaves was very fast, as if they were afraid someone would snatch their portion of food away; Jasmine had not even finished eating a bowl of Tofu pudding when the slaves had already wiped their mouths clean, left the table, and stood to one side, waiting respectfully.
Jasmine glanced at them once; compared to sitting at the same table with her, standing to one side and waiting made the slaves feel more natural and comfortable.
She could not help but secretly sigh a breath; wanting to change the deep-rooted thinking of slaves was not an easy matter. Unconsciously, Jasmine also increased her eating speed so as not to make them wait long.
The territory only had one horse carriage, which Jasmine had brought from the Royal Capital. The glossy black paint had been scratched in many places. Two days ago, she had the Dwarf brothers check and repair it a bit, discovering that the wheels had a few cracks due to the wood being rotten; it was likely that traces had been left behind due to bumping into something on the road previously.
The Black Dragon Castle did not have wheels to replace them with, nor did it have good wood to make new ones; therefore, even though the old wheels had defects, they could only reluctantly use them temporarily, reinforcing them with a few more iron nails, as long as they did not fall off in the middle of the road.
The dry provisions for the road and the supplies needed to be brought to Ankera Town to exchange for Gold Coins were all piled on the horse carriage. The space inside was also only barely enough for Jasmine alone to sit tucked in amidst the pile of goods. Except for the large Minotaur responsible for driving the carriage, the other guards could only walk behind to escort them.
The carriage-driving technique of the Minotaur had also only been learned in these past two days, but his race seemed to naturally possess the affection and favor of animals. The cranky old horse also became obedient under his hands, so he learned to drive the carriage much faster than Jasmine.
Jasmine actually wanted to learn to ride a horse more in order to freely gallop; in this era where transportation was not convenient, one could not go anywhere far without knowing how to ride a horse.
It was a pity that after falling off the horse twice in painful tumbles, the old Butler would not let her ride anymore no matter what was said because he was afraid she would break her bones.
According to the old Butler's way of speaking, that horse of his had a temper that was too fiery; it was not the type of riding beast that a novice like Jasmine could easily control.
In the castle, conversely, there was still another old horse; that was the riding beast from the old Butler's youth. It was said that its age was not much less than the old Butler's, and its fur had fallen out in many places.
If Jasmine rode on it, she would not be thrown off the horse's back because it was too slow, but the old horse was truly too old. Its spine protruded, and moreover, it was very thin; its hind leg had also once been injured, causing it to walk with a limp. It completely could not run fast. Jasmine riding on it even felt a bit worried that her weight would crush the old horse to death.
Therefore, such an old horse naturally could not be used for Jasmine to practice either. Jasmine going out this time could only obediently sit in the horse carriage, enduring the bumps and jolts.